By Jim McCulley – Spring has sprung! It’s already noticeably busier around the lake. After a long winter I’m sure we are all looking forward to another great year at Peck’s Lake. We have some exciting things being planned for 2023!
Some of you may have already noticed that we have undertaken a complete update of the PLPA.org website. Many thanks to Dick DiDomizio for his many years as webmaster, and for creating the very first PLPA webpage. But the time had come to modernize the site and to add new features. I’m pleased to report that the new website PLPA.org is up and running. If you haven’t already, I hope you will check it out. (If you’re reading this online…we’ll I guess you already know that!)
Perhaps the most useful new feature is the ability to easily pay your dues and make donations through the website. If you haven’t paid your dues yet, or would like to make a donation, please visit plpa.org and click the “Join / Renew” link. You can also fill out the membership application online. Having the option to pay online is more convenient for many of our members, and hopefully will cut down on the manual paperwork to process dues and donations.
We hope to use the website as a resource for PLPA members and the lake community. We will be keeping an updated “Events” page so it’s easier to find out about events at the lake. We’ve also posted the container drive and buoy maintenance schedules online. We can always use help with these important lake improvement projects. So please check out the schedules and volunteer if you can, we’d love to see you! I can promise you’ll have some laughs, and maybe make some new friends. The Lake Rules and other important information to keep the lake a safe place for boaters, kayak/canoers, and swimmers are also posted on the website.
The website will also have the latest lake news (including the Newsletter articles). To keep up to date on what’s happening (or what’s happened) make sure you check out the “News” links on the webpage. There are also links to the Glove Theatre and Caroga Arts Collective, and a very interesting history of Peck’s Lake written by our own John Peck. In the “Members Section,” there’s information on the trails and trail maps, how to grieve your property taxes with links to the necessary forms, the PLPA directory, and other (hopefully) helpful information.
Besides the new website, I’d also like to announce that the PLPA Board has created an Invasive Species Subcommittee. The proliferation of non-native plants (and animals) plagues many Adirondack lakes. Compared to lakes like the Caroga Lakes — and even Canada Lake — we’ve been lucky not to have suffered the same degree of invasive species infestation. The subcommittee is tasked with identifying which invasive species may already be in the lake, and with researching mitigation and/or extermination strategies that might be appropriate for Peck’s Lake. To find out more about invasive species and the work of the subcommittee, click the “Invasive Species” link on the plpa.org homepage.
I’ve been asked frequently about the status of the lawsuit. Attorneys for both sides made their oral arguments and submitted their final written motions in early March. It’s now before the judge. There’s no timetable – it could take several months (or more) for the judge to issue a ruling. We’ll make sure to keep you informed when there’s news.
On a brighter note, there’s a lot the PLPA has planned for the lake community this year! We’re pleased to announce that the Caroga Lake Music Festival is coming back to the lake in 2023 (see Kathleen Perrott’s article in this newsletter and on the website). The PLPA will also be hosting a tent for members at the CLMF Jazz Festival!
The Summerfest Committee has planned several “Summerfest” activities, including a “Back to the Lake” cocktail party, boat parties, a cornhole tournament, facepainting, and kayak and canoe races this summer! There will also be the annual fireworks (we’re hoping they coincide with the CLMF at Peck’s Lake), the Fishing Derby, the annual chicken barbeque, craft fairs, hikes, and the PLPA Christmas Party. Make sure to check the “PLPA Events” section of the website for the latest dates and times.
I’d also like to remind those who haven’t yet joined the PLPA for 2023 that we are in the midst of our 2023 membership drive. The PLPA is funded solely from member dues and donations. If you’re not sure if, or why, you should join the PLPA, please visit the “About” page at PLPA.org – you might be surprised how much the PLPA does!